Eve Online (“spreadsheets in space”) is the infamously intricate massively multiplayer space trade/conquest game where in-game currency can be exchanged for real cash, making the battles fought there consequential in a way that sets it apart from other games.

But now the game has been brought to the brink of a battle that beggars belief, as the notorious Clusterfuck Coalition (formerly the Goonsquad) has used a tribute system based on ancient Persian tithing to create a galactic empire they call “The Imperium,” whose leaders have waxed fat and arrogant (and have attempted to cash in on in the real world).

It’s got to be too much for the other players. Working with a war-chest supplied by one of the bankers behind I Want ISK, a virtual casino that allows players to gamble with in-game currency (which, remember, can be exchanged for real-world money). The looming battle looks to be the biggest in the game’s history.

This is the most surreal shit I’ve ever read. Members of The Imperium swore fealty to a cosplayer. The owner of I Want ISK is hiring mercenary troops to fight in absurdly gigantic battles. There may be a real dollar value to the damage done in game. It’s more like reading about a parallel universe where space war has broken out than an MMO.

What the fuck…

EVE is that game I want to hear everything about but don’t want to get personally involved with at all.

For those of you who don’t know, which is everyone because no one cares, there was once this group of guys who were modding an FPS. Anyway, they made a really popular mod and then they made a free-to-play FPS based on that and it was sorta popular in some circles.They didn’t make much money though and they didn’t like their publisher. They suspected said publisher was only out to make a quick buck and not concerned with the long-term health of the property. So when those guy began working on their new title, Dark Matter, they didn’t bother with a publisher.Then they ran out of money so they tried a Kickstarter. The Kickstarter failed at around 12%. A few months later, they released Dark Matter on steam. Despite the fact that they clearly detailed the content of the game on the site, it ended abruptly at around four hours in. With a text screen of all fucking things.Continue Reading